Pinoy Tennis Trainers (PTT), led by its program head Sebastien Lhuillier, once again opens its doors for online training as in-court competitions resume nationwide. The webinar PTT Serve Online functioned as a venue for tennis trainers and coaches to gain a fresh perspective in teaching budding athletes and adult learners the basics of tennis, as well as tips for organizing clinics and competitions for players.
The PTT, now in its sixth year, was co-founded by brothers Stephan and Sebastien Lhuillier, sons of Philippine Tennis patron Jean Henri Lhuillier. The organization was established in 2016 to provide training and workshops for local coaches and help them get access to more lucrative tennis gigs. The program was also designed to upskill trainers by sending them to international conferences and seminars to attain international tennis certifications.
Joining Sebastien on the webinar is coach Roland Kraut. Coach Kraut acts as the lead resource person and is the first Filipino tennis coach to be conferred an ITF Level 3 certification by the International Tennis Federation, the highest coaching level in tennis.
“As an active player, I am elated that we are going back to in-court training and competitions. This provides players like us, whether newbies or seasoned pros, the opportunity to hone our skills as we await new opportunities to compete,” said Sebastien. “But more than that, the resumption of in-court sessions means more opportunities for the trainers and coaches whose livelihood was severely affected by the pandemic. After all, we started PTT because we wanted to give them alternative means to improve their skills, raising their chances of landing higher-paying in-court gigs to better support their families.” he added.
With more than a hundred tennis trainers and coaches in attendance representing various tennis clubs nationwide, thePTT Serve Online webinar allowed attendees to share their best practices and exchange tips as tennis tournaments resume. Local coaches Alquinn Flores, Austin delos Santos, and Reymund Padigos rounded up the panel and provided first-hand knowledge in building up grassroots tennis in the countryside.
In 2019, Sebastien took the helm of managing PTT from Stephan who left to concentrate on his university studies. Since then, Sebastien has spearheaded online webinars and led a successful bike donation drive in 2021. Dubbed “Bikes for Life”, the program gave 30 tennis trainers free bicycles which they used as means to earn extra livelihood to augment their family income amid quarantine restrictions.
With the support from Cebuana Lhuillier, the online seminar is just first of the many planned activities by PTT for the coming months, in line with its mission of continuing the education and skills-building of local tennis trainers.
